Black and Gold
by boshrocks
Summary: Draco has a secret. It's a friendship that he wants to develop into something more. But will it? Not as obvious as it sounds. I suck at writing summaries. i'm not going to beg for reviews cos i'm not pathetic but it would be nice to hear what you think
1. Chapter 1

Draco Malfoy was engrossed in his Transfiguration essay when an origami parchment rose floated down in front of his nose and landed on his essay, smudging the fresh ink. He unfolded it and waited for the words.

_D, we need to talk. _The words appeared on the parchment in neat clear handwriting.

_About what, H? What's wrong? _Draco wrote beneath it.

_Why do you immediately imagine something's wrong?_

_Because if I know you, H, and I do, you never say those four little words unless something's gone rather horribly wrong._

_What if I just want to chat with you?_

_H, this is you talking…well writing…and you are always so serious._

_How dare you! You of all people know that one cannot be serious all the time._

_Not even you._

_What's that supposed to mean, D?_

_Well, H, I know for a fact that you act far more innocently than you actually are. Your friends don't know about your summers, do they?_

_How could I tell them? You know what they're like. They'd have murdered both of us._

_Especially W. He still thinks of you as his property._

_Aw, are you jealous, D?_

…_no._

_You're so jealous._

_Take that back!_

_No, D. I certainly shall not._

_Look, we're getting rather off track here. What did you want to discuss?_

_You've made me lose my train of thought. I've forgotten what I wanted to say to you now._

_How does one write a snigger?_

_Hey! Oh you insufferable boy! Meet me on the astronomy tower tonight at midnight._

_Are you mad, H? Need I remind you where the Slytherin common room is?_

_Fine, lazybones, we'll meet out by the lake._

_That's better, H. Now you're learning._

_I don't think you could get any more arrogant._

_I'll try, just for you._

_Boys!_

After that no more writing appeared. Smirking Draco crumpled up the parchment and dropped it into his bag. Since he was in the library he suppressed his chuckle.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco glanced up and down the hallway from the dark alcove he had hidden in. How in Merlin's name did Mrs Norris do it? How was she able to be in every corridor at once?

Far overhead he heard the huge school clock chiming midnight. H was going to yell at him for being late even if she knew it wasn't his fault.

Dodging Filtch, Mrs Norris, Peeves and Snape was no easy feat but eventually he made it to the front doors. He struggled with the heavy door for a moment before feeling incredibly foolish. He'd forgotten to unbolt it. When he made his excuses to H he thought he might just leave that part out.

The moon was almost full and bathed the grounds in crisp white light. Some mist was dancing in the breeze over the lake and sitting picturesquely on the bank under the boughs of the drooping willow tree, sat H staring out as though she could see something no one else could.

Mustering his dignity he approached his secret friend, but with all his Malfoy dignity, failed to notice the roots belonging to the willow. H didn't even look round as she heard him fall.

"You're late," was all she said.

Draco scrambled back to his feet and with the resignation of one who knows that all previous dignity is now nowhere to be found and not likely to be recovered, plunked himself down on the bank beside her. "Sorry, had some trouble getting out of the castle."

"You should have just used your animagus. I did." Her tone was still cold. She was evidently not pleased with him.

"Okay, I know how mine would help me, since it's black, but yours is brown. You don't exactly blend in."

Here Hermione looked at him for the first time. Her eyes were as wintry as her tone and the only part of her that had moved was her head. "Yes, but I ran into Mrs Norris. Little cats are always scared of bigger cats," she said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'd hardly call a lioness a cat." There was a clear laugh in his voice.

"Both are in the cat family. A lioness is simply a bigger version of a ginger cat."

"Before we get side tracked, what did you want to discuss with me?"

Hermione paused. She looked back out over the lake and Draco could sense her attitude softening. "It's Harry. He's got enough on his plate without you to worry about."

"H, you know the drill. Appearances must be kept up for all our safety."

"Can't you just back off a bit? Don't hassle him too much. All the pressure's getting to him."

"Doesn't surprise me. Latest news is that the Big Bad's getting majorly ticked off about something. I don't know what yet."

"Exactly. Harry doesn't need to deal with constant fights with you. Back off. Please."

"Hermione, I can't back off. Potter would just get suspicious if I stopped picking on him."

Hermione thought about it. "What if you switched your target?"

"To who? Weasley?"

"No, me. If we could make it look like you had a good reason to stop bullying Harry and switch to me, they'd buy it and be none the wiser. Switch the focus."

"Alright I'll bite. What do we do?"

"Stage a fight?" Hermione said hesitantly.

"Because we both know how well that went last time."

"Reel in the sarcasm please." She paused. "I didn't mean to turn you into a ferret. You provoked me."

"We were yelling at each other. Okay maybe I did deserve it a little but you know what I'm like, sometimes I get carried away."

"Sometimes?"

"Hey." Draco looked affronted.

"Well, what if we recreate that fight? What if I turn you into a ferret and humiliate you? That would make it look like you had sufficient reason to pick on me instead of Harry. At least for a while. What do you think?"

"Well alright but you better be prepared for full-on payback."

Hermione chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything less. If you will prepare yourself for the same."

"This should be interesting. What should the fight be about?"

"How about me flying in to defend Harry? Next time you bully Harry I'll step in and start shouting at you, we let the fight escalate and then-"

"That's all very well, but you know Potter and Weasley. They won't let you fight your battles alone just like you won't let them fight their battles alone."

"Alright, genius, got a better idea?" Hermione snapped.

"What if you pick a fight with me?"

"What?"

"What if you initiate the fight? Say I do something to make you mad and you challenge me on it?"

Hermione considered it. "Would make a nice change. You know, me doing the yelling at you first rather than you provoking me into it."

"Oh I will be provoking you, something has to set you off."

"What are you going to do to me to set me off? What dirt do you not have on me?"

Draco smirked and slid an arm around Hermione's waist. "Well," said he suggestively.

"No." she stated, cutting across him. "I'm not sleeping with you again. It was a one off thing."

"Why do you always have to spoil my fun?"

"It's my job." She smiled slightly seductively.

"H, you know what that smile does to me. Come on, please."

"You know, begging isn't really a turn on, although it is very funny. If you want to get into my pants again then you have to take charge. And you have to be the bad boy. Pathetic saps aren't sexy. Why do you think sweet old Neville never gets a date?"

"Well when you put it that way." The smirk leapt onto his face again and this time it was dirtier.

Hermione observed the smirk before stating firmly, "No."

Draco looked so put out that Hermione took pity on him and shifted closer to him. His arm was still around her waist and she leant against him. "You know I love you, D, and I always will. There's just something about you that tells me not to give you up. I just know that I'm going to be your best man and we'll have to come up with some kind of arrangement for my wedding."

"You're not getting me in a dress." Hermione gave him a 'look'. "Again." They said together in the same half-amused, half-bored tone.

Hermione giggled. Draco watched her quietly.

"What if we get married…to each other?" he said tentatively.

She looked round at him, unsurprised and full of pity. She knew all about his feelings but felt that it would ruin their friendship, and put their lives in jeopardy. "Sweetie that's never going to happen." She said tenderly, reaching over and caressing his cheek gently.

"It might," he grumbled.

"Yeah, you hang onto that thought." Hermione got up, dusted her uniform off and looked down at Draco, slapping him lightly round the head as he was trying to see up her skirt. "Hey, stop being such a perv."

"Sorry, can't help it."

"We'll talk out the details of our plot tomorrow night. Same time same place?" she smiled.

"Sure. Night, H."

She chuckled a little at his despondency and bent over to kiss him goodnight. What started as a light friendly peck on the lips quickly developed, thanks to his decision to take charge. Draco pulled her down so she was sitting on his lap, her arms wound tightly around his neck, one hand entwined in his hair. One of his hands moved away from their tight embrace round her back and slid down her body to her leg and then up again, this time slipping under her skirt.

Here she pulled out of the kiss and stopped his wandering hand. She smiled kindly at him. She pushed herself up to her feet using him as her walking stick. "Goodnight." She said gently.

Draco was still holding one of her hands and she smiled down at him. Gently she pulled her hand out of his, but he wouldn't let go.

"Let me go, D."

Reluctantly he did so, but not before he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. Her smile softened, the little romantic gesture going straight to her heart.

As she walked back to the castle she didn't see his smug little smile of triumph.

Finally he had a way in. Persistence would win the day. Draco Malfoy never lost a thing he was determined to win, and he was determined to win Hermione Granger at all costs.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione patrolled down the empty corridor, her head full of Draco's sexiest smirks. He was up to something and she had a clear idea what it was. But although she was against the idea, a little part of her wanted to go for it. He was such a bad boy and she was (supposedly) such a good girl.

God what a cliché!

Plus he was really hot. She was still a woman, for all of her quiet bookworm ways, and she was still a teenager. Hormones got in the way of everything, she mused.

Hormones, that was it. There was no real attraction in her towards her D, it was just her stupid hormones messing with her. But she would not give in to them, or to her very naughty thoughts concerning D.

She was not attracted to Captain Peroxide.

_You keep telling yourself that, love._

What? Who are you?

_I'm you, except I'm being truthful._

Alright, let's hear some of these truths.

_Not if you won't take them seriously._

I will take them as seriously as I can.

_That'll have to do, I suppose. _

Bored now.

_Ok, ok. It's not hormones. Well they help but what you feel for Draco is more than just teenage lust. It's love, sweetcheeks, and the sooner you realise that the happier you'll be._

I am not in love with my best friend!

_You sure about that?_

Of course.

_Really?_

…Yes.

_Permission to say 'I told you so'?_

Certainly not. Go away now please, I have to think about this in peace.

No reply came from the smug voice for which Hermione was very glad. Was there a possibility, however small, that she might be in love with D?

Before she had a chance to think about it thoroughly and analyse it from every possible angle, weigh the facts and go over their history together, ask her heart the necessary questions and do the same with her head, a hand shot out of a broom closet, grabbed her by the elbow and yanked her into the broom closet.

Before she could protest, she felt strong protecting arms around her body trapping her in place and a pair of soft lips crashed against hers. She had tasted those lips often enough to recognise their owner. Draco. If this was him taking charge, she wasn't complaining.

Hermione wound her arms round his neck and through his hair while his arms gripped her tightly, pulling her close, so that even through their clothes she could feel every contour of his chiselled body and he could experience every tantalising curve of her deliciously feminine body.

"You know," she gasped as he proceeded to kiss up her jawline, her closed eyes, the tip of her nose, "you're not helping matters."

"You should know by now," he whispered, his mouth close to her ear, his breath sending shivers up and down her spine, "that I generally muddle the way you think."

"Don't I know it!" she exclaimed before he captured her mouth again.

Hermione felt rather than heard the chuckle in the back of his throat as he then moved lower to her neck, where he bit and sucked at her sensitive spot, soothing it with kisses and licks.

"Stop that, you'll leave a mark, everyone will know."

"Let them know." He blew on the moist patch of skin making it tingle and making her gasp.

"I'll just wear a scarf." Hermione couldn't help giggling. It was summer. She would look very silly indeed wearing her scarf, now that the weather was warm. The shaking movement of her chest caused him to recapture her lips hungrily.

Hermione was happily drowning in him. He was all she wanted, was all she had ever wanted. There was little doubt now in her mind but, although she desired him, she was not sure if she loved him. Only time could tell her that.

One thing was certain, though. If he kept kissing her like this it would make the decision a lot harder.

_He's a good kisser isn't he?_

Oh bugger off.


End file.
